Threw them away

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Kathrin

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Hi everybody.
I am just desperate right now. And confused. I shouldn’t be posting such things in the forum due to my scrupulosity, but this is just too much and it is already almost midnight here.
Please consider this in any replies.

I read somewhere that it is a mortal sin to read/keep Protestant Bibles. However I am not sure if that document (it seems to me) is from before Vatican II.
Since I couldn’t ask somebody, it being late and all, I quickly got the three little Gideons New Testaments (and Psalms/Proverbs) and ran out of the already locked house to the bus stop and threw them in the big trash bin there. Being very torn as I do not want to throw away the word of God, but neither do I want to commit a mortal sin by keeping them.

Now I realized it may have not been a mortal sin to keep them, I may have waited until I find out if that commandment is still valid today.

Now I read here that in the Catechism of a former Pope it says Protestant Bibles should be burned or handed in to the parish priest.
But now they are already in the trash there, and it would be very difficult to get them out again I think, plus my parents are already in bed and the front door locked again and would make noise.
Can I just go to sleep. I think I need sleep. Do I have to get up early to wait for the trash collectors? But they might or might not come there tomorrow, it was still alomst empty so probably not.

Did I do the right thing?
Did I do a terrible thing?
Can I just pray and feel ok?

I am not looking for a definite answer, for that I would have to ask a priest or somebody I can really totally trust, just some (name removed by moderator)ut and maybe some comfort… or amybe how a “normal” person would see this situation now, who doesn’t panic

Kathrin:(
 
gonna try to go to bed now, read a little and distract myself from this and hopefully bveing tired turn off the light soon enough… I am not perfect and I may have done it wrong but God knows I wanted to do the right thing SO… I don’t know if it was right or not and theultimate answer may just have to wait until the next confession. good night
 
You solved the problem! All is well. Life is good. Go to bed, and rest in peace. You deserve peace! GOD LOVES YOU! HE IS HAPPY WITH YOU. GOOD NIGHT.
 
Paddy_Walker said:
go to sleep Kathrin and forget about it.
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This is good advice, Did you know that Saints such as St. Therese and Ignatius of Loyola suffered from periods of scrupulosity.

If possible you should read Scruples and Sainthood by Trent Beattie which may be of help.
 
I respectfully dissent.
*
32 Q. What should a Christian do who has been given a Bible by a Protestant or by an agent of the Protestants?
A. A Christian to whom a Bible has been offered by a Protestant or an agent of the Protestants should reject it with disgust, because it is forbidden by the Church. If it was accepted by inadvertence, it must be burnt as soon as possible or handed in to the Parish Priest.

33 Q. Why does the Church forbid Protestant Bibles?
A. The Church forbids Protestant Bibles because, either they have been altered and contain errors, or not having her approbation and footnotes explaining the obscure meanings, they may be harmful to the Faith. It is for that same reason that the Church even forbids translations of the Holy Scriptures already approved by her which have been reprinted without the footnotes approved by her.*

I suspect Pope Pius X was in error. Grave error.
 
Kathrin

From what I remember from my reading, if a Prostestant Bible translation has just the publishing information, edtiors, and translaters names, it may/may not be read; if it has notes in it, that is where the problems arise because of errors in docteren and be given away. 🙂
 
You might want to “Ask an Apologist” - it sounds like you may be on the scrupulous side. I am a “recovering scrupulous” myself and I have to admit this thread got me a little anxious even though I don’t usually let things get to me like I did years ago.

However, I’m pretty sure that the simple possession of a Protestant Bible would not in itself be sinful. Or even reading it, if one’s Catholic Faith is well-versed. After all, Catholic apologists have to study about Protestantism or other religions in order to compare what is and is not compatible with Catholicism. Or a person in a university taking a religion class where that is the version of the Bible they happen to be studying.

Again, I’m not a priest so this is just my take on the matter. Anyone else see where I am going with this, though?
 
capablanca911 said:
32 Q. What should a Christian do who has been given a Bible by a Protestant or by an agent of the Protestants?
A. A Christian to whom a Bible has been offered by a Protestant or an agent of the Protestants should reject it with disgust, because it is forbidden by the Church. If it was accepted by inadvertence, it must be burnt as soon as possible or handed in to the Parish Priest.

33 Q. Why does the Church forbid Protestant Bibles?
A. The Church forbids Protestant Bibles because, either they have been altered and contain errors, or not having her approbation and footnotes explaining the obscure meanings, they may be harmful to the Faith. It is for that same reason that the Church even forbids translations of the Holy Scriptures already approved by her which have been reprinted without the footnotes approved by her.*
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That’s no longer in force.
 
Kathrin, listen to God. If your’e unable to sleep or your heart is troubled by the decision to trash the Bibles then retrieve them when you can and take them to your Priest or another leader at your Church. They will know what to do with them and you can be at peace knowing you did right.
 
3DOCTORS said:
and I have to admit this thread got me a little anxious even though I don’t usually let things get to me like I did years ago.
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I apologize that my thread made you anxious. 😦 It was not my intention to cause a problem for anybody. Please send me a private message if it troubles you.
 
Kathrin said:
I apologize that my thread made you anxious. 😦 It was not my intention to cause a problem for anybody. Please send me a private message if it troubles you.
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**Please don’t feel bad about it! **🙂 Not at all! I hope I didn’t come across as accusatory. No harm done whatsoever. It spurred me to do some research and maybe what I found can put both our minds at ease! :hug3:

My healing process for scrupulosity began back in 1984 at a retreat, and it’s mostly been smooth sailing in more recent years. Once in a great while there’s a little “hiccup” of it. Having CAF forums has generally been helpful to me because even though it is a big site and you may get conflicting views on an issue, there are a lot of knowledgeable people here who can refer you to sources that answer your questions.

Just out of curiosity, and if you don’t want to answer on the thread feel free to PM me - or if you don’t want to answer at all that’s cool too. But have you explored with a priest or spiritual director the possibility that you may suffer from scrupulosity? The reason I ask is that you describe a state of mind of indecision and some level of torment; even after you took an action, you felt uncertain about it. That can be a sign of the scrupulous mindset. And if you’re living under that level of anxiety in making moral decisions, well, it’s just not fun. :nope: Take it from one who’s been there!

May God bless you with peace, in any case. :heaven:
 
I have had a wonderful talk with the priest who did the morning mass I have been going to recently. Somebody who knows me already and my problem with scruples (yes 3Doctors I’ve been suffering froms crupulosity) He could help me so much. And for those who are interested, he could assure me that it is not true that it is a mortal sin to own a Protestant Bible.

Thank you everybody who responded, really. I got myself into a “panic” last night that wasn’t necessary, but thank you so much.
 
capablanca911 said:
I respectfully dissent.
*
32 Q. What should a Christian do who has been given a Bible by a Protestant or by an agent of the Protestants?
A. A Christian to whom a Bible has been offered by a Protestant or an agent of the Protestants should reject it with disgust, because it is forbidden by the Church. If it was accepted by inadvertence, it must be burnt as soon as possible or handed in to the Parish Priest.

33 Q. Why does the Church forbid Protestant Bibles?
A. The Church forbids Protestant Bibles because, either they have been altered and contain errors, or not having her approbation and footnotes explaining the obscure meanings, they may be harmful to the Faith. It is for that same reason that the Church even forbids translations of the Holy Scriptures already approved by her which have been reprinted without the footnotes approved by her.*

I suspect Pope Pius X was in error. Grave error.
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I’m inclined to trust St. Pius X.

God Bless
 
Kathrin said:
I have had a wonderful talk with the priest who did the morning mass I have been going to recently. Somebody who knows me already and my problem with scruples (yes 3Doctors I’ve been suffering froms crupulosity) He could help me so much. And for those who are interested, he could assure me that it is not true that it is a mortal sin to own a Protestant Bible.

Thank you everybody who responded, really. I got myself into a “panic” last night that wasn’t necessary, but thank you so much.
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Well, I’m really glad to hear that you found a kind and helpful priest! May God bless him and you. With all due respect to Pius X, the advice or ruling he gave is . . . subject to interpretation in light of changes in the Church that have taken place since his time? 🤷 I’m not really sure. But if you are scrupulous, obey your confessor and that will help, over time to lessen your anxiety and panic. I’ll pray for you! :gopray: Scruples are not fun - but God can bring good out of them down the line - they can be turned into trust in His Divine Mercy (a devotion that I find particularly reassuring myself). 🙂
 
as far as I have understood, such things as handing in Protestant Bibles to the Parish priest also had political reasons. but I am really afraid to write something now as it may also have been a misunderstanding
 
Kathrin said:
as far as I have understood, such things as handing in Protestant Bibles to the Parish priest also had political reasons. but I am really afraid to write something now as it may also have been a misunderstanding
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Don’t worry! If you are new to these Forums it can be a lot to take in. I, for one, am glad you are here and hope you won’t feel intimidated to participate. 🙂 You might want to try the Social Groups, too - scroll way down to the “Forum Jump” to find them. They can be good places to meet people with different interests and “get your feet wet.” God bless you!
 
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